Courage in Spreads
by hoarfrosted
Summary: Sam and Howard share a moment in Sheets n' Things after discovering common ground.


**Because Howard was totally one of the best secondary characters. _Obviously. _Got this bunny after watching one of the earlier episodes._  
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**Disclaimer: I don't claim this show._  
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Going to a linen store wasn't exactly Sam's idea of a fun time, but Mike assured him that harassing Finn and Puck at their place of work was more than worth it, so he was inclined to go along for the trip. The drive en route had been less than interesting, giving him little hope for the promised entertainment.

The store itself wasn't very interesting, as he previously surmised. Nothing but aisles of frilly cloth and knick-knacks so disturbing he had to make sure his mom never found out about the store; she'd go crazy buying the creepy objects. Mike was occupying himself with looking for his friends, poking his head into the aisles, earning more than a few stares. Finally, it looked as if he had found them, and he waved for Sam to follow him.

Sam trailed behind the other boy dutifully, his eyes roaming over the contents of the aisle; fabric fresheners, smelly candles and incense. He resisted the urge to plug his nose at the mixture of overpowering scents, hurrying after Mike, who was slapping five with Puck.

When Puck noticed Sam from the corner of his eyes, he tilted his head at the blond with a "Sup." Sam nodded back to him with an amused grin as he took in the sight; Puck was holding a pink duck in one hand fluffy looking cloth in his other arm, holding both of them to his apron. Puck glared at him when he noticed the smile.

"Decorations for your room?" Sam got out before he burst into laughter, followed immediately by Mike. Puck scowled at them, muttering under his breath while holding the pink duck as menacingly as he could, which only served to fuel the laughter.

"Fuck you guys," Puck grumbled sourly, placing the duck down in what was most definitely the wrong shelf before turning his glare back on them. "The hell are you guys doing here?"

Mike and Sam sobered up slowly, wiping the tears from the corners of their eyes. They didn't get to chance to answer, however, as they heard the yelling from a disgruntled customer

"Are you a _moron_?" they heard the man say, emphasizing every word. Puck rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed in frustration. Sam and Mike peered curiously around the corner of the aisle to see what the commotion was.

There stood Finn, eyes to the floor and holding a piece of folded cloth, being bellowed at by a balding, bespectacled man with a sweater wrapped around his shoulders.

"I said I wanted _burnt sienna_, not _red-orange_! Are you _colorblind_ or just plain _stupid?"_ his words were accentuated by globules of saliva flying from his mouth. Finn's gaze hardened toward the floor at the insult of his intelligence, but he kept the tight line of his mouth shut, letting the other man continue his rant.

Puck growled in frustration behind them, smashing a fist into the side of the aisle. "I'm freaking tired of that pedophile! We can't do a thing to him or we get fired because he's our "best customer", even though he never buys shit!" His hand clenched and unclenched as he watched the scene, looking as if he wanted to do nothing more than step in and break the man's glasses with a well placed punch.

Mike placed a hand on Puck's shoulder to calm the boy while Sam furrowed his eyes at the man, sharing Puck's sentiment despite only having just seen him. Sam moved closer, into the opening of another aisle and noticed other employees of the store conversing in not-so-hushed tones. The blonde woman shoved a sheet into the black-haired man's arm with a frustrated huff.

"But…but Terri, I can't fold fitted sheets. I'm dyslexic," the man said, giving the woman a pleading look.

She only rolled her eyes and frowned at him. "Howard, how many times have I told you?" she placed her hands on her hips. "If you can't learn to fold sheets, you can't work at Sheets n' Things." She began to stomp away, but glanced toward where she could hear the bald man still complaining. "And handle the fuss," she threw at him before storming off.

The man, Howard, glanced at her retreating form, then to the sheet before sighing at the floor. Sam's eyebrow rose as he approached the man, taking pity on him.

"You need help, dude?" he said, making Howard jump in surprise as the balled up sheet was taken from his arms. Sam, having had enough lectures from his mother on his poorly cared for clothes, folded the sheet expertly, folding in the corners and handing it back to the man. Howard's shifted from the fabric in his hands, to the blond boy who had folded it.

"And, for the record," Sam leaned in close to him, whispering conspiratorially with a hand beside his mouth, "the dyslexia excuse only works so many times." He leaned back with a grin and gave Howard a light punch on the arm, the man flinching in response.

"I'm sorry," Howard's shoulders sunk as he placed the sheet in its correct place on the shelf. "I just…"

Sam held up a hand, "You don't have to explain. I know how you feel." When Howard turned back to him with hopeful eyes, Sam nodded. "Yeah, me too. But you can't use it as an excuse for everything, not just because it won't always work."

When Howard tilted his head in confusion, Sam took it as his cue to continue. "You gotta find some courage!" he added a pump of his fist here, which Howard stared at in wonder. "Some inner strength, some balls, some bravery! You know what I mean, right?"

Howard shook his head in declination and Sam lowered his fist slowly, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile to Howard. "Come on, you've gotta try. Never know until you try, right?" Howard's eyes widened as Sam moved behind him, giving him a push in the direction of Finn and the still ranting balding man.

Howard took the first stumbling steps forward, then turned back to give a fearful look. Sam answered with a thumbs up and an encouraging grin. "Remember, Sam's rooting for you." Howard nodded with an audible gulp and straightened his posture, striding out of the aisle and up to the balding man with an air of confidence. He didn't have to wait long before he heard Howard's firm voice end the tirade.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."


End file.
